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Post by brightlight on Nov 29, 2010 17:43:00 GMT -7
The bitter part: Sold my Maz 38 Sr. today.
The sweet part: Got a Stangray to replace it!
I saw that a shop near me had a used Stangray so I figured I'd give it a try since I loved the demo videos that are floating around. I played it with a Fender CS '51 Nocaster and fell in love at the first strum!
I couldn't believe how awesome clean, percussive and rich this amp was through a Mesa 4x12 with Vintage 30's. I only played with the Cut at about 8, Tone at 12 and Volume just under 9 and it was still decently loud. This amp is just brilliantly clean and smooth with an almost acoustic-like percussiveness (a factor that im sure the Nocaster had a lot to do with as well). It was just what I was looking for since I've started becoming unhappy with my Maz 38 not getting as clean as I needed it to be even at lower volumes.
Now, however, I have 2 problems. I'm GASsing like crazy for that $2700 Nocaster I wont be able to afford any time soon and I don't have a cab since I've always played combos.
The first problem no one here can probably fix haha
but I'm sure that a lot of you will have some nice cab and speaker recommendations for me. I deffinitely want a Z cab of some type and I want it to be a 2x12 or possibly 2x15. I'm thinkin the 15's because I've been told that they will help even furher in getting me that acoustic-like percussive response with a tight bass. If you folks disagree with this statement please speak up as I don't know much about speakers and cabs, I'm just shootin in the dark here.
My shop has a Z best, so I'll have to just try that one in person, the rest might be guess work.
I play mostly rythm guitar with a lot of open chord strumming and chicken pickin' on a G&L ASAT Classic so my basic criteria for the speaker setup is that they remain super clean (i may want some nice breakup at times though since I do like to solo occasionally so maybe the 12's would be better suited for versatiliy?) and that they sound rich with a very tight, clear bass.
Thanks in advance for any advice and encouragement you might have!
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Nov 29, 2010 19:50:56 GMT -7
Wow, cabs for the 'ray. In my view you MUST try out one of any of the following: 2x12 open back loaded with Celestion Alnico Blues 2x12 open back loaded with one Celestion Alnico Blue and one Celestion Alnico Gold 1x12 open back Convertible loaded with a Celestion Alnico Gold. You simply have not really heard the whole story with the 'ray until you try one of these.
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Post by teleluvver on Nov 29, 2010 21:41:52 GMT -7
Hey Brightlight,
A little off subject, but what were the pickups in the Nocaster, and was it wired with the tone knob as a blender? Thanks for answering my off-the-wall question.
Phil
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Post by brightlight on Nov 30, 2010 8:24:05 GMT -7
I honestly could not tell you just by looking at them, but the guitar was marked as NEW so whatever the Custom Shop puts on them as stock pickups and wiring kits must've have been whats on there. I believe they're simply called "Nocaster pickups". The tone knob didnt seem to do anything out of the ordinary, turned all the way down it just turned the tone into a muddy mess, halfway up took enough treble away to make things jazzy, and all the way up was the typical Tele/Nocaster sound- bright, clear, snappy, etc
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Post by trim450 on Dec 13, 2010 14:20:27 GMT -7
my fav cab is a 212 open back with a gold or blue paired with a g12h30/ hellatone 30. to me it still has the chime and all kind of bottom end. i always mic the gold though
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Post by dougeds on Dec 13, 2010 15:34:26 GMT -7
i believe i have a gold waiting for me at the house today. can't wait to put it in my 1x12 cab and hear it.
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Post by Hohn on Dec 18, 2010 22:34:57 GMT -7
Wow, cabs for the 'ray. In my view you MUST try out one of any of the following: 2x12 open back loaded with Celestion Alnico Blues 2x12 open back loaded with one Celestion Alnico Blue and one Celestion Alnico Gold 1x12 open back Convertible loaded with a Celestion Alnico Gold. You simply have not really heard the whole story with the 'ray until you try one of these. +1. The Celestion Alnico are the voice of the Ray. It sounds really good with lots of different speakers, but it's LEGENDARY with the aforementioned speakers.
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Post by teleray on Dec 21, 2010 18:34:39 GMT -7
Yeah Blues or Golds for sure. Richer, tighter bass than a lot of bass amps and also crystal clear and chimey, when you want it to be of course. I tend to goose mine (running 2 blues) with an 808, or Timmy and sometimes even a Sunface. It can run the gamut from crystal clean to awesome psychadelic fuzziness without a problem, and usually it only takes a small turn of the guitar's volume knob and an increase/decrease in the intensity of your attack to do so (plus switching on the pedals of course).
Long story short, if you want the real deal, take these other guys advice and go with Blues or throw a Gold into the mix. I know I want a 1x12 Gold just to have sitting around.
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Post by brightlight on Dec 23, 2010 12:01:53 GMT -7
How about a Tonker? anyone ever get to try the Stang with one of those?
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Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2010 18:01:46 GMT -7
Stangray head with 2X12 blues and a CS Nocaster are a great combo. But I found the best guitar I ever played through that rig was a 52AVRI that I sold, followed closely by the 52 hotrod.
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Post by asattwanger on Dec 23, 2010 18:50:36 GMT -7
If you get that feeling that something is not the same with the amp, like some magic is slighty missing. Look at the bridge pickup. Those G&L pickups are great, but that classic tele sound is in those alnico pickups. The Lollar Special T is a great replacement for the G&L's. YOu keep most of the power, but gain a ton of sweetness.
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Post by brightlight on Jan 6, 2011 18:23:33 GMT -7
I bought a cab today. had to go with something a little more budget friendly than the Z cabs and Golds/Blues. I bought a Fender Bandmaster VM 2x12 with Celestion G12P-80's for $340. It sounds decent for the price I paid, the only problem I have is that when I brought it home the bass was pretty overpowering and boomy. It helped to turn the tone control down on the Stangray, but I also lost the tone that I previously loved when playing it at the shop.
I think the difference may lie in that I was using several Fender's to test it out. A Fender CS 51 Nocaster, a CS Esquire (looved this guitar), a Roadworn Strat, and a Roadworn Tele. At home I play a G&L ASAT Classic which has very different pickups and a slightly flubbier low end of its own (the string tension seems different).
It helped when I turned the cab vertically, standing tall, but not completely. The other factor here is that this cab is CLOSED back and I know most of you prefer open backs with your Stang's.
So I have several options and I'm seeking your advice here.
1) let the speakers break in with at least 40 hours of loud playing time to tame them.
2) cut out a portion of the back of the cab and re-fabricate the piece to make it convertable
3) Try it out with several lower output guitars than the ASAT or maybe tame the ASAT pickups by adjusting the height.
what makes the most sense to you guys and where should I start? It was a cheap cab so I'm really not worried about damaging it too much during modding. I would also like to re-tolex it with blonde tolex to match my Stangray.
And last but not least...does anyone if the Doc will sell me a "Z" logo with which to replace the Fender logo? I really just want a uniform look in my rig and I would never in my life try to re-sell it as an actual Z cab. The back will still say Fender.
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Post by asattwanger on Jan 7, 2011 3:36:07 GMT -7
Well I mentioned the pickups above.
Honestly if you can take the cab back and find a open back cab.
DAVE
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Post by John on Jan 7, 2011 3:51:41 GMT -7
Open back cab......
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Post by brightlight on Jan 7, 2011 19:26:45 GMT -7
so you guys dont think it's logical to just MAKE it into an open back cab? I can easily cut the back panel nicely to get the same effect
EDIT: on secdond thought I guess the speakers aren't exactly what I was looking for either. I will probably just bring the cab back
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Post by asattwanger on Jan 8, 2011 8:21:24 GMT -7
Personally I would not mod a cab. There are to many cabs out there. Some are very reasonable. Also at $340 your really close to a used Zcab. I bet you find Zcab with a Green, V30 or something else for close to the cost of the Bandmaster. Then later buy a Gold. There is two golds for sale right now on our BST section for $230 each shipped. So, it's not like you can't find them.
Special T's are out there also. Seriously a great pickup for a Asat Classic. Mine was in Custom Classic I owned.
DAVE
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Post by robb on Jan 8, 2011 20:08:07 GMT -7
Bring the cab back, you can find the cab you want used for cheap.
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Post by edoetsch on Jan 14, 2011 12:20:48 GMT -7
Bring the cab back, you can find the cab you want used for cheap. If you don't need a cab right now... $110 - Temporarily get a weber ceramic $110 (saves you $100 over the alnico) blue dog at 30 watts taweber.powweb.com/weber/$215 -A 1x12 (or $225 2x12 and only load the one speaker) cab built to your aesthetics Later switch to a Celestion gold or other classic alnico when more $ is available.
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Post by Ridgeback on Jan 14, 2011 13:03:34 GMT -7
Bring the cab back, you can find the cab you want used for cheap. If you don't need a cab right now... $110 - Temporarily get a weber ceramic $110 (saves you $100 over the alnico) blue dog at 30 watts taweber.powweb.com/weber/$215 -A 1x12 (or $225 2x12 and only load the one speaker) cab built to your aesthetics Later switch to a Celestion gold or other classic alnico when more $ is available. Great advice here. I regularly run my Ray through a J Design 2x12 with a 50 watt ceramic BD and a Blue. I special ordered the empty cab with exacly the cosmetics I wanted. Great sounding cab. That Fender closed back cab will never be what you really want with the Ray IMO.
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Post by edoetsch on Jan 15, 2011 7:52:31 GMT -7
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Post by brightlight on Jan 18, 2011 16:12:49 GMT -7
thanks for the comments and help. I've decided to man up and get a Z 2x12 with a gold and blue. According to the price list on the Dr. Z main website it should come to $1097.
It says $679 for the 2x12 Open Back Cabinet so I added the upcharge costs of 1 blue and 1 gold at $189 and $229 respectively. Add it all up and it comes to $1097.
What im wondering is if $679 is the price for an EMPTY cab or one with the stock speakers. in that case you'd have to subtract the price of the stock speakers and THEN add the upcharges for the gold and blue, correct?
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Post by asattwanger on Jan 19, 2011 18:37:01 GMT -7
Doesn't work that way the price of the Gold and Blue reflect the value of the stock G30H.
Now if you want to play with it you'll pay a bit more, but then you have the stock speakers and the B & G for about $100 more if you buy the replacements else where. I doubt that Z makes much money on Cel. Speakers. If so pardon me.
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Post by brightlight on Jan 19, 2011 20:55:54 GMT -7
^ I didn't really understand what you were saying. Are you saying that I cannot directly order FROM Dr. Z their 2x12 cab with the Gold and Blue in it? I have to order it with the stock speakers and purchase the Blue and Gold afterwards from elsewhere and put them in the cab?
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Post by Lonny Caughron on Jan 20, 2011 7:53:56 GMT -7
^ I didn't really understand what you were saying. Are you saying that I cannot directly order FROM Dr. Z their 2x12 cab with the Gold and Blue in it? I have to order it with the stock speakers and purchase the Blue and Gold afterwards from elsewhere and put them in the cab? You cannot directly order from the factory. You have to go through a dealer. But you can order it with the speakers you want. I've had great service through humbucker music. They can order exactly what you want. Free shipping usually and no tax if they are out of state. Happy shopping
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Post by asattwanger on Jan 20, 2011 10:07:04 GMT -7
^ I didn't really understand what you were saying. Are you saying that I cannot directly order FROM Dr. Z their 2x12 cab with the Gold and Blue in it? I have to order it with the stock speakers and purchase the Blue and Gold afterwards from elsewhere and put them in the cab? Again I don't know Z's deal with Celestion and his mark up if any on the speakers. But if your ordered the cab from a dealer with the G30H, V30's, or Greens for what ever Z wants for them and then went to SpeakerTone and ordered your own you'll pay a bit more, but in return you'll have four speakers to play with. Of course Z will load you a Gold & Blue in a cab and that is the cheaper way to go. DAVE
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Post by Ridgeback on Jan 20, 2011 10:30:25 GMT -7
brightlight,
That should be one awesome sounding and LOUD cab with the Ray. Please post your impressions after you get it. Also, don't judge the cab before those speakers break in for a good long time. My Blue and Gold both changed dramatically (and in a good way) after a break-in period.
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Post by brightlight on Jan 20, 2011 13:37:34 GMT -7
good information here, I was always under the impression that the Doc encouraged ordering direct. Lucky for me a shop 30 miles from me is an authorized dealer so I'll have them do it for me.
Ridgeback, I'll deffinitely give my 2 cents on the stang with a gold and blue after I've given the setup some playing time!
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